Imagine, walking into a beautiful lush garden filled with edible flowers and trees with fruit you can pick and eat right there. A vineyard grows next door, and the sun beams down on you as you drive over a gravel road.
You are reaching an invigorating yoga retreat held at the extraordinary Casa Barranca, an eco-friendly home located in the Black Canyon National Park. The Casa Barranca is where you'll practice two hours of yoga twice a day. Yoga Instructors Joan Hyman and David Lynch provide exceptional classes and within the retreat format, the opportunity for a life changing experience. Chef Caspar Poyck creates healthful, robust, extraordinarily delicious meals.
Luckily for retreat participants, we did not have to imagine… It’s all real and was ours for the taking. Women and men of all backgrounds joined together in an intimate surrounding.
Before you start any yoga practice make sure you have a quality mat as well as comfortable clothing that allows for maximum flexibility. The mat I chose and worked well is called Manduka Mats. I used the Pro-lite Manduka Yoga Mat. It is a lightweight version of the Black Mat, non-sticky and provides cushion for support while also being light enough to carry. Manduka Mats come with a lifetime guarantee. Additional to their mats are Manduka Towels. I used the EQUA Towel, absorbent, slip-resistant and quick drying. They were a quality combination for every Yoga class. www.manduka.com
The clothing I am now addicted to wearing from workout to dinner is OMgirl! The exceptional line combines variety in style with maximum comfort. Throughout the classes, I will share more about the quality movement and flow that OMgirl clothing provides with every down dog.
We began our first yoga class at 5PM Friday night. It was intense to say the least. The expert Yoga instructors Joan Hyman and David Lynch switched as lead instructor, with the other teacher helping individuals one on one. David taught the first class, while Joan assisted, helping people with their postures. There were four pairs of eyes on us at all times. We were given first-rate attention and an advantage one may not have at a normal class, constant support and help, even if one did not ask for it. The sweat poured from our bodies, David was in a groove and we went along for the ride. It was tough and after two and a half hours we were both grateful and famished! We did it and now it was time to feast.
Chef Caspar outdid himself, every meal was filled with delicious nutrients’, unique, mouth-watering creations that made me wish I could afford to hire him full time. My mind and body would be in harmonious bliss, the same way in which he cooks.
Not all of us slept in Casa Barranca, a Green and Green home. There were artist tents and other places along the acres of stunning landscape. I, along with Jane Cashell and Gina Browne roughed it a bit, staying in a Yurt far from the homestead. A Yurt is a large tent that has a wooden floor and regular beds, with nightstands and electricity. It was large and very nice. Although it can sleep six, three was perfect. There was a compost toilet that was unique to the three of us. A compost toilet with a sink. The compost had wood chips and you would use a crank that was attached to the stool to mix the woodchips in. We definitely felt like we sleeping in the woods.
Saturday morning was met with a hearty Chef Caspar breakfast which included fresh fruit, a selection of breads and almond butter and peanut butter, Omelets, Frittatas and cereals including Teff, (The worlds smallest grain from Ethiopia.)
Yoga started at 9:00AM. Joan taught Saturday morning and David assisted her. They have unique styles with the core of balance and breath and dedication to the practice. The class had a lot of bends and showed many talented students in the head and hand stand arena. With the help of David, I did my first handstand. The mind definitely plays a role in Yoga. When the teachers believe in you, it helps you believe in yourself and before I knew it, I had done a headstand. Others followed, so there were several students that also had handstand firsts! A retreat provides a quality environment that allows you to focus on nothing but yoga, relaxation and release. After the two plus hours of class, we had a delicious lunch prepared by Chef Caspar. We were then provided several hours before the next yoga class at 5PM. There were many select choices, swimming in the Salt-water pool, hiking, exploring the beautiful area, which included a vineyard, taking a nap or going to Ojai for the Lavender Festival. I went with a few others to Downtown Ojai to experience everything Lavender. There was Lavender ice cream, which we stayed away from due to our weekend commitment, but it looked divine. There were other luscious products for the mind and body, such as Just Blossoms Soap Company. They have wonderful organic selections of soaps to choose from that include Lavender. Lavender sprays, body butter and much more. Check them out at www.JustBlossomsSoapCo.com. M&W Gourmet Foods had delicious Vegetable Chips that included Sweet Potato, Taro, Squash, Carrots and Green Beans. They were dried healthy vegetables in a bag. Perfect for hiking and when you want a quality snack. (661) 296-3178.
We returned to the Haven called Casa Barranca for the remainder of our trip. I went to talk with Chef Caspar about his food and philosophy. Chef Caspar Poyck is also a Culinary Therapist. He makes food an art form. He considers his style unique organic whole food with old world European and Asian Cooking. Updated Macrobiotic cooking and Ayverdic providing healthy herbs and spices utilized in the food. He also simplifies it by calling it healthy comfort food, but it is oh so much more…
Chef Caspar lived the life of a Network Television Producer for Twelve years before leaving that world to travel in 2003 throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East and to get away and take in the rest of the world’s perspective. It was there, a world outside of Hollywood and Hollywood people that he began to cook, using their spices and learning about people who cared about other things, and happiness was to be had. Chef Caspar has always been an artist, be it his successful teen band to chocolate carving for styling competition his creative nature and food found themselves enmeshed. He did not receive formal training, more so an inherent gift, utilizing workshops of the book, The Artist Way to enhance his own personal journey of self-expression. As a creative individual he was earlier known as the European Rock n Roll Chef. While in other people’s country his way of saying thank you was letting him cook a meal, and cook he did! He moved to Ojai, away from Los Angeles but still allowing him to act in movies such as Racing Stripes and as Jesse James in Jessie James America. He met the owner of Casa Barranca Bill Moses and his Wife Eliza by doing odd jobs, working as a handy man, and working with a catering company. One day Bill said come help the Chef. He was an apprentice through Chefs of all forms as mentioned above. He learned his way through the culinary world by cooking. Bill asked Chef Caspar to cater his wedding to Eliza and from that point on he has been the Head Chef working with the Yoga Community direct from Farm to table. Health Conscious, his company name became Consciously Culinary serving us dishes such as amazing Quinoa Polenta Pie. Orange and Meyer Lemon Ceviche’d raw Kale and Chard Salad with Avocado and Nasturtium Flowers picked from the garden, Vegan Red Lentil Meatballs and melt in your mouth Chocolate Ganache Tarte on a Hazelnut Crust for Dessert. It went perfectly with the Casa Barranca Wine tasting on Saturday evening.
Casa Barranca Wines can be found at Whole Foods.
Chef Caspar is passionate about people and vitality in food that enhances their lives. He works with the Foundation for Living Beauty. Breast Cancer Survivors and The Joyful Heart Foundation.
The weather was perfect. 5PM Yoga came and David was at the helm. We started the class in a mindfulness moment. I felt my body becoming accustomed to the exceptional continual bodywork and organic food. There was flow and movement that felt more natural than the first class. This was not a regime; it was a way of life. Beautiful poses were made by individual students and admired by the class. Being able to move is vital in yoga and OMgirl pants and shorts fit you perfectly and move along with your body. They are beyond comfortable and the rich, vibrant colors and unique versatile styles make it so that you can leave yoga, throw on an OMgirl sweater, long sleeved shirt or wrap and go out to dinner. I did precisely that Saturday night. Wearing a pair of surf nomad pants in aqua color with an asana bra and muse hoodie, I was ready for dinner and wine tasting in pure comfort. Check out www.omgirl.com for the colors and selections to choose from. You can also purchase OMgirl clothing at YogaWorks.
It was a wonderful Saturday evening dining outside with Casa Barranca wines and the fabulous Chocolate Ganache Torte for dessert, the group relaxed in the peaceful, open environment.
The final class Sunday morning, was followed by an opportunity to have an energetic dialogue with Instructors Joan and David about yoga, their own thoughts about the importance of yoga, retreats and YogaWorks.
Joan said, we learn how to breathe on the mat and learn how to take in into our daily lives as well difficult situations as well. We begin to understand how our body works – I think it is important to Keep that Self care off the mat as well. Keep us clean and better, eat better good people
David – I agree with everything she said. Asana practice. Teaches us why we practice. Not only your breathe but with your breathe why we practice Why these moments in our class your challenged and in a physical posture how you react not only with your breathe will help you in your physiology, in a stressful situation counter intuitive to what you like, what you don’t like will then help you have a yoga approach in your life. That you are not reactionary, that you are not too high to low you can stay in your breathe, you stay in your focus and breathe when stress, difficult times come… even happiness, getting to elated… you know there is going to be a reversal of this and that you are not reactive and don’t react in a negative fashion and constantly be a victim of these fluctions. Especially with the kind of teaching we do, you are going to meet this with every practice, moments with slow movement it could be sitting, or a could be difficult handstand different from day to day and with everyone but how you take that physical emotional breathe experience and then when you are engaged outside your yoga practice. In the case of an Asana practice you can bring those things up and they can make you deal with the situation that is the main goal.
Moving past Asana.
Getting to a meditated practice and preparing people to hopefully get to that stage.
I asked David and Joan why they teach and what makes YogaWorks a unique place to do what they do?
David said, the exposure you get not just that you see at the retreat, because it is not one studio but many studios… We had people from Orange County, the Midwest, people who knew about YogaWorks from London. Beyond the Yoga the exposure Plus the background we started at Yoga works. They have a beautiful balance of yoga practices. YogaWorks is a wonderful place to teach Yoga. You meet people like Joan, there are a great great group of teachers of different styles and backgrounds that you might not meet because they are so many different neighborhoods and students like someone sitting here right now and it is great exposure and a blessing to bring yoga and your philosophy. It enriches your life and we are both teacher trainers and meet people from all over and Joan travels and teaches all over the world meeting different pockets of people. Different spaces to bring our practice and philosophy and I don’t think many teachers get.
Joan shared, I have been teaching my whole life. It comes from an intuitive place. I love people. My family has a lot of health problems so I cannot help talking to people about what they eat and this yoga lifestyle. Even before I was a dancer I was checking Yoga places out.
I specifically came to study with Monty Ezraty and Chuck Miller and that is where I met David. David said we are both are Philly people and became the best of friends. I love her and it is an honor to teach with her, Joan said, same here.
I asked them about the benefits and unique experiences of a Yoga retreat?
Joan: I think it is really good to leave to understand the way yoga works and leave the distractions of your life. Even in LA you leave yoga class and the first thing you do is look at your phone and the list of things you have to do. So if you go to a retreat you are surrounded by nature, when you are a yogi you start looking at things energy and prana and you are surrounded by pure life force prana and you are completely out of your environment so you can really sink into your practice a lot deeper and then you also meet people that are on the same path, so there is a like mindedness about everybody. By the end of the retreat there is this really loving bubble and part of the reason why I love retreats is that I get to see people let go of their layers and masks that they wear in the their own world and the when they come on a retreat and by the time they leave there much kinder, their hearts are open and you meet some really good friends.
In general David said the environment we all live at times can be very oppressive and as much as your spirit wants to move beyond the environment it nice to as someone said today, “you don’t have any responsibilities” not that it is a false sense but you are removing some of the realities you think occupy your life and it gives you time to focus on your heart and breathing. You get to do two-hour yoga class twice a day which most people do not have the time for it is a true blessing. Who has four hours to do yoga? I think it makes you appreciate the moments of yoga so that when you go back in your life it’s almost like a wonderful memory but your not caught in the past but this thing, it’s this oasis that you can go to that makes you feel so special and Joan said it very nicely, you can see the release that people have by Sunday. People are attached to the place and that is not what you want, but that I can let it go because I know it is here and I have gotten past what a retreats like. For some people it is a shock to the senses to those who have not be practicing a lot, it can be intense but that can help people. I’ve met people who come back from a retreat who say it got my practice jump-started and that is a huge thing it can really start someone’s practice
Joan: David said we have been working together in different capacities. Work shops, we did partner work for many years we shared the same practice. Joan was a mentor to me when I was starting said David. We have that perfect balance of yin and yang that beautiful blend where I may have a difference that Joan may have a strength that together makes this really beautiful whole. We share a lot of students in LA but I think we have a lot of people who truly enjoy both of our teaching styles and I think it is a very nice blend that one does not overwhelm the other but they are actually complimentary to each other and help each other go beyond what maybe as individuals we could not do for them.
You get four pair of eyes working. David is teaching Joan is going around and helping with posture and positions. You have this attention in this intimate group. There is a synergy between them. They contribute to why the group is the way it is.
Attention you don’t get in a regular class. Very powerful a great synergy contributes to why the group is the way it is
Joan shared that outside of Yoga, David I both grew up in Philadelphia and New Jersey and you grow up on top of each other and you learn to share and say whatever comes to mind so we both of the same sense of humor, we speak the same language and both of us have this innate ability to make feel comfortable every time David and I have done something together it is a lot of fun, lots and lots of laughs, so I think it’s our personalities as well, there’s a good mesh here.
Why Casa Barranca?
Joan: When I started Yoga retreats, someone recommended White Lotus, so I had an in there and I heard about Casa Barranca and I kept trying to book it for three years and there are sold out a year a head of time. David asked me last summer to do a Yurt retreat, and it worked well and so I contacted Casa Barranca again and it fell into place, the weekend and it was not hard to fill this retreat up and retreats are hard to put together. This really came together nicely and it lined up and was our time to be here
They are really close to LA it is an amazing, beautiful property; it has a salt-water pool and the food. David said, this is a special place, How many Green and Green homes can you stay in? You can go to Pasadena and pay $15 to walk around for an hour it but to actually live in this space and just experience this is incredible, it is an absolute blessing being here, and the fact that is pretty convenient, its beautiful and a great great three days.
I shared how the Chef picking flowers that he put in our salads, we could eat fruit off the trees and David said it is truly amazing. And that it was!
www.yogaworks.com
caspar@consciouslyculinary.com
www.casabarranca.com
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